


front row seat

by Jules1398



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, TA jake, student rich
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 12:11:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15461085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jules1398/pseuds/Jules1398
Summary: Jake's never had any issue with his TA job until someone in the front row says something, well, distracting





	front row seat

**Author's Note:**

> loosely based on that one tumblr post where the teacher says fuck me after dropping something and the student in the front says maybe later.  
> [come say hi!](http://transjonas.tumblr.com/)

As a college student that was strapped for cash, applying for a TA position was obvious for Jake Dillinger. Even though his friends saw him as a dumb jock type, he was actually really good at math. Jake had taken Calculus 3 his first semester due to AP credit, so he went into his Chemistry major with a pretty good head start. Good enough, in fact, that he actually got hired to be a TA for a College Algebra class his sophomore year.

The job itself was pretty easy. The professor typically taught the class while he sat in and graded tests and homework. He ran group tutoring sessions for an hour each week and held his own office hours, which were rarely attended, seeing as it was the lowest level of math in the school.

So, it was an easy job and it paid decently well. He still had time to play frisbee-golf with his team and he was able to keep his grades up. The professor he worked for was kind of a hard-ass, but he seemed to like Jake well enough, so it seemed that this would be a job that he could probably keep through graduation.

In fact, he didn’t have any issues with the job at all until around the middle of November. Dr. Hard-ass never cancelled class, so when he was sick, he had one of his two TAs step in. He’d only been absent twice before. Jake subbed the first time and it went fairly well and the discussion TA, Brooke, subbed in the second time.

It was the professor’s third time being absent, which meant it was Jake’s turn to teach the class. The task was simple enough. He came in early, read over the lesson plan and started to write on the board as the students began to file in for their 9am class.

At 9 on the dot, he started to take attendance. Since the professor was such a hard-ass, the students, who were grown ass adults, had a seating chart for easy attendance. It was alphabetical for the most part, but two of the students had been switched since last time, putting a Goranski right between an Álvarez and an Anderson. Jake wondered what had happened to get him switched. Maybe he had poor eyesight or something.

It didn’t really matter all that much because Mr. Richard Goranski wasn’t even there. Jake hoped that he had emailed the professor in advance. There were a significant amount of points deducted for every absence that wasn’t cleared with him first.

Other than him, every other student in the class was present, so Jake supposed that the strict attendance policy was pretty effective, even if it was harsh as fuck.

He started class, explaining the equations that he had written on the board before the start of class. Jake was about to get them started on a practice problem when one of the doors slammed open.

There was a short guy there who was, frankly, buff as fuck. He rushed down the aisle and slid into the empty seat in the front, offering a Jake a wide smile. He hadn’t seen him around before, but the guy was pretty hot. He had a weird red streak in his hair that Jake kind of dug.

Jake grabbed the attendance sheet and marked an x next to the Goranski guy’s name. He wasn’t supposed to let tardy students get away without an absence, but he supposed that he could make an exception.

“So, if you see this problem here,” Jake continued, as if he had never been interrupted. He explained the problem and let them work it out on their own for a few minutes before grabbing an expo marker and going over it with the class.

“And, so, as you can see, the answer is negative seven,” he huffed, writing out the last line of math and turning back to the class. “Any questions?”

Christine Canigula, who had attended every SI session and his weekly office hours despite having 100% in the class, raised her hand.

“Yes, Christine?” he said.

“I got 23,” she told him. “You forgot to carry over the three right in the beginning of the problem.”

His could feel the color draining from his face as he spun around to look at everything he had written on the board. Sure enough, he had made a mistake in front of an entire class of students that he was supposed to be teaching. Instead, it seemed that they had to teach him. He needed to be a better teacher.

“Fuck me,” he huffed, reaching for an eraser so that he could erase the problem and rework it.

“Maybe later,” softly muttered a voice in the front. One that could only belong to Mr. Richard Goranski.

The marker slipped from Jake’s hands and clattered onto the tile floor as he felt a blush creeping up his neck. The guy probably hadn’t meant for Jake to hear his words, but he had and well, they didn’t sound all too bad.

Jake took a deep breath to regain his composure and smiled brightly, pretending that nothing had happened. “Thank you for pointing that out, Christine. I’m super sorry.”

He erased the problem and reworked it the correct way and then continued to the next thing on the lesson plan, avoiding any and all eye contact with the Goranski guy for the rest of class.

But, that strategy only worked until he dismissed the class because the guy approached him after everyone had cleared out.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I’m used to sitting farther from the teacher, where I can grace my neighbors with my witty commentary. I didn’t mean to like embarrass you or undermine your authority or anything.”

Jake put on his most professional smile. “It’s perfectly fine. I happen to know that I’m quite a catch.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?” he said. “Or are people just after you for better test grades?”

He laughed. “I’ve never been with a student before, but I’m not sure that there’s very many that need that kind of boost in college algebra.”

“I’m Rich,” he said, sticking out his hand.

“Jake,” he replied, shaking the other boy’s hand. “Though, you’d know that if you showed up to class on time. Luckily, I’m not as ruthless as Dr. Reyes is, so I marked you as present.”

“I knew your name,” Rich said with a smile. “I mean, you taught our class before, in September. I don’t forget a pretty face.”

Jake tried his best not to blush at Rich’s possible flirting. Pursuing something with a student would be an absolutely terrible idea, especially with finals fast approaching. Besides, he could just be reading too much into it anyway.

“So did you have something to discuss?” he asked.

Rich’s eyes widened. “No, I was just-”

“Because I have to go to class,” Jake told him. “But I have office hours tomorrow night at five.”

Rich’s smile returned. “Good to know. See you around, Jake,” he said before walking out of the classroom.

Jake was probably making a huge mistake.

* * *

 

“A student, Jake?!” Chloe exclaimed from where she sat on top of his desk. “I didn’t know you were such a sl-”

“Chloe!” Brooke exclaimed from the other desk. “Flirting with a student is  _ not  _ a good thing. At least, not until the semester is over. Jake could lose his job!”

“We haven’t done anything,” he reasoned.

“You haven’t done anything  _ yet _ ,” Chloe amended. “I know you have the emotional range of a rock, but you seem lowkey dicknotized by this guy right now.”

He flipped her off. “I can feel emotions perfectly fine, thank you.”

“Who is it anyway?” Brooke asked. “I might know him.”

“His name is Rich,” Jake replied.

Brooke and Chloe’s jaws dropped. “Rich Goranski?” the said in unison.

“That was creepy. Never do that again,” he requested. “And, yes. Do you know him?”

“He lives on Jeremy’s floor and they’re friends,” Chloe replied. “So, like, we hang out with him sometimes at parties and stuff. Dude’s slightly fucking insane.”

“He is  _ not _ ,” Brooke argued. “He’s perfectly nice. You’re just slightly judgemental.”

“Jenna said that Dustin Kropp told her that he burned down a fucking house in high school,” Chloe replied. “That can hardly be considered sane!”

“Maybe it was an accident!” Brooke attempted to reason.

“Weren’t your office hours before SI?” Jake interrupted. “I think that it’s my turn to be available to any students seeking help.”

“You just want to be alone in case he shows,” Chloe accused with a smirk. “It’s half past. I’m not sure he’s coming. We might as well keep you company.”

“I have a lab report to finish for O Chem tomorrow,” he lied. He had finished the report two nights prior, but he didn’t want to admit that Chloe was right.

She reached up and patted the top of his head. “You’re cute when you try to lie, Jake. We get the hint though. Have fun getting dicked down in the office.”

“Yeah!” Brooke chimed in. “Have fun making good decisions and balancing your future with your feelings.”

The girls left and he sat there, looking over his O Chem notes for the rest of the hour. He frowned when it was five minutes before six. Chloe was right. Rich really wasn’t going to show. Jake packed up his things and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

He went to turn off the lights, but Rich ran in panting heavily. “Dude, I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed. “I totally fell asleep and I only woke up ten minutes ago.”

“It’s fine,” Jake said with a fake smile. Chloe would be able to see right through it.

“It’s not fine. I totally missed your office hours. I’m such a disaster,” he groaned.

“Well, I was going to head to dinner,” Jake said, shifting his weight on his feet. “I mean, if you wanted to come with, we could definitely have some, uhh,  _ private _ tutoring there.”

Rich grinned. “That sounds fantastic.”

* * *

They went to a deli that was just off-campus, since Jake’s car was already parked near it and the food was pretty good. He ordered his usual and paid for Rich’s food, even though he could head Brooke yelling at him in the back of his mind.

Rich chose a booth by the window and they sat together to eat, watching the snow fall to the ground outside.

“So, I hope you didn’t have any math questions,” Jake said. “I’m a bit burnt out today and I’m not sure I can trust myself not to screw it up again.”

The other boy raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think I came here to ask you about math? No offense to your craft, Jake, but college algebra is the easiest class I have this semester.”

“I was hoping that you weren’t here for math,” Jake admitted. “I just had to make sure. I didn’t want to, like, come onto you or anything. That would be very unprofessional of me.”

Rich’s jaw dropped. “Do you think this is a date or something? You think I’m here for your dick?”

Jake winced, knowing that he had fucked everything up. “Rich, I’m sorry. I-”

He broke out into laughter. “Oh, Jake. You’re  _ way  _ too easy to screw with. I let you buy me dinner. Of course this is a date.”

“Oh, thank god,” Jake laughed. “I’m not sure I’m all that easy to screw, though. I mean we are having dinner first.”

“If it only takes one dinner, a dinner at a deli at that, then I hate to break it to you Jake Dillinger, but you actually are quite easy,” Rich replied. “But that’s okay. I’m even easier.”

Jake blushed and tried to hide it behind his hand. “And to think I was going to ask you on another date. Maybe out to dinner at a place better than this.”

Rich grabbed his hand and shook it. “Please, Jake. Buy me more food.”

“Friday?” he asked.

“Sounds fantastic,” he replied. “And then I’m taking you out after. We’re gonna party like there’s no tomorrow, Dillinger.”

“Brooke told me this is a bad idea,” he sighed. “So, I want you to know this is going to have absolutely no impact on your grade, no matter what happens. Brooke will grade your tests from now on.”

“You’re cute when you go all professional,” Rich sighed, resting his chin on his palm. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t expect anything between us to effect class. I mean, that class is easy as hell anyway.”

“I’m happy that you embarrassed me in class,” Jake admitted. “You seem like a pretty dope dude, Rich.”

“I am,” he replied. “Let’s get out of here.”

They walked out of the deli together and Jake reached for Rich’s hand. The held hands tightly as they walked back toward campus. Jake was ready for this new adventure.


End file.
